Rust

Rust is a demanding survival title that stresses both processor and graphics hardware, and the combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER produces a distinct performance profile. The measured FPS data shows a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings, with the system demonstrating its strengths at lower resolutions while becoming increasingly graphics-bound at 4K. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to explain where the bottleneck lies, how each component contributes, and where this pairing ranks against other tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The performance scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals the classic shift from a CPU-bound scenario to a GPU-bound one. At 1080p with Low settings, the system delivers 263.1 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates the processor is feeding frames faster than the GPU can render in many cases. Moving to 1440p Low drops that figure to 182.6 FPS, a reduction of roughly 31%, and at 4K Low it falls further to 108.7 FPS. This progression shows that as pixel count rises, the graphics card becomes the primary limiting factor.

The scaling pattern is even more telling at higher settings. With High settings, the drop from 1080p (149.3 FPS) to 1440p (102.2 FPS) is a 31.5% loss, and then to 4K (63.8 FPS) is another 37.6% loss from the 1440p figure. This steep decline at 4K High suggests the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is struggling to maintain high frame rates when pixel fill and shading demands peak. In contrast, the 1080p to 1440p gap at Low settings (263.1 to 182.6 FPS) is proportionally smaller, indicating that at lower quality presets, the CPU is still able to keep up fairly well, but the GPU's workload increases disproportionately with resolution.

Ultra settings amplify this trend. At 1080p Ultra, the system hits 117.8 FPS, which drops to 78 FPS at 1440p and then to 47.3 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling, as it sits below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, suggesting that this combo is not ideal for maximum fidelity at 4K. The data shows that resolution scaling is steep across all settings, but the most dramatic relative drops occur between 1440p and 4K, confirming that the GPU resources are exhausted well before the CPU's potential is reached at higher pixel counts.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus. The memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s is substantial, and this appears to be sufficient for Rust's texture-heavy environments, as the frame rate drops at 4K are more likely due to raw compute limits than memory capacity exhaustion. The GPU's base clock is 2340 MHz with a boost clock of 2610 MHz, and it houses 8448 shading units, 264 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units.

The GPU's compute capability is rated at 44.10 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, which is high but not enough to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K Ultra, where it only reaches 47.3 FPS. The 66 ray tracing cores and 264 tensor cores are present, but Rust's performance profile seems more dependent on traditional rasterization throughput. The pixel rate of 250.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 689.0 GTexel/s are the key metrics that correlate with the observed resolution scaling, as higher resolutions demand more pixel fill and texture sampling, which directly impacts the frame rates seen at 4K.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database shows it sits in a competitive position. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has an average benchmark score of 48704, placing it slightly behind the NVIDIA CMP 50HX (49071, delta -0.7%) but ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A2000 (47915, delta 1.6%) and the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile (47743, delta 2%). The near-parity with the CMP 50HX suggests that the 4070 Ti SUPER is performing as expected for its class, and the measured Rust results indicate it handles 1080p and 1440p well but is not a 4K powerhouse.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This high boost clock is crucial for Rust, which is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance in certain gameplay scenarios. The CPU's single-core benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2972, indicating it can drive high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

The processor's multi-threaded capabilities are also impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a Passmark multithread score of 52425. However, the benchmark data from Rust suggests that the game does not fully utilize all 28 threads, as the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 1440p and 4K is primarily governed by GPU load. The CPU's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for a game like Rust that involves complex world interactions and entity updates.

The 14700KF's percentile ranking of 96 against all CPUs indicates it is in the top tier of processors, and its nearest rivals show minimal performance deltas. The Intel Core i7-14700K has nearly identical performance (avgScore 70074, delta 0%), while the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is slightly faster (avgScore 70420, delta -0.4%) and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 is slower (avgScore 71056, delta -1.3%). This suggests that the 14700KF is not a limiting factor in Rust, as the measured FPS at 1080p Low (263.1) is well above typical competitive refresh rates, demonstrating that the CPU can feed frames far faster than the GPU can render at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 130 out of 1717 tested combos in Rust. This places it in the top 7.6% of all configurations, which is a strong showing given the game's demanding nature. The high rank is driven by the balance between the CPU's excellent single-thread performance and the GPU's substantial rasterization power, allowing the system to excel at 1080p and 1440p while remaining competitive at 4K.

The rank of 130 means there are 129 other combinations that achieve higher average FPS across the tested scenarios. These likely include configurations with more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 4090 or higher-end Radeon cards, which would provide better 4K performance. However, the 14700KF + 4070 Ti SUPER combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, and its position in the top percentile is notable. The data indicates that for a mid-to-high-end pairing, this setup delivers excellent frame rates in Rust, particularly at 1440p where it hits over 100 FPS on High settings.

The delta between this combo and the top-ranked systems is not specified in the data, but the relative position suggests that the primary weakness is 4K Ultra performance, where the GPU's limits become apparent. At 1080p and 1440p, the combo likely competes with much more expensive configurations, as the CPU's boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures that frame rates are not artificially capped by processor limitations. Overall, the rank of 130 out of 1717 validates that this is a well-balanced pairing for Rust, offering high performance without the need for flagship components.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 263.1 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings reduce this to 180 FPS, still a very smooth experience. High settings yield 149.3 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 117.8 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the GPU is the bottleneck at higher settings, but the CPU is capable of driving over 260 FPS when the workload is light.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease predictably. Low settings average 182.6 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. Medium settings deliver 120.9 FPS, High settings reach 102.2 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 78 FPS. The 1440p results show that the system can handle high-quality gameplay at over 100 FPS, making it a strong choice for 1440p monitors with high refresh rates. The drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution is about 57%, reflecting the increased GPU workload.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become evident. Low settings average 108.7 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh displays. Medium settings drop to 71 FPS, High settings to 63.8 FPS, and Ultra settings to 47.3 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this combo is not optimized for maximum fidelity at 4K. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 56.5% reduction, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed at this resolution, and users may need to lower settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Rust?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with High settings averaging 102.2 FPS and Low settings reaching 182.6 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gameplay in Rust?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Low settings, the average FPS is 108.7, which is playable, but at Ultra settings, it drops to 47.3 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for smooth play.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-14700K (70074, delta 0%) and slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420, delta -0.4%).

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Rust?

A: It ranks 130 out of 1717 tested combos, placing it in the top 7.6% of all configurations.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 149.3, while at 4K High, it is 63.8, representing a 57.3% reduction in performance due to the increased pixel count.